Seven Celebrity Estates, Seven Lessons in Planning Ahead
Over the past several weeks, we've walked through some of the most talked-about celebrity estate stories of the last few decades. As we close out this series, we wanted to step back and pull the throughline from seven of the biggest cautionary tales in recent memory -because the lessons apply just as much to a family business or a modest savings account as they do to a nine-figure catalog.
Anna Nicole Smith and the Estate Battle That Reached the Supreme Court
Anna Nicole Smith's dispute over her late husband's fortune wasn't about a bad will. It was about a promise that was never put in writing the right way.
Two decades of litigation. Two Supreme Court rulings. Three people who died before it was ever resolved.
Chadwick Boseman: A Private Battle With Cancer, and No Will Behind It
Chadwick Boseman's death in August 2020 shocked the world- he had quietly fought colon cancer for four years while continuing to star in major films, and almost no one outside his close circle knew. That same intense privacy may help explain one surprising detail that came out afterward: he died without a will.
But 6 years later, the battle over his estate is still raging; and has left his widow and his family at odds.
Unforgiven and Unforeseen: The Gaps in Gene Hackman's Estate Plan
When Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home in February 2025, the loss of a two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood legend was shocking enough on its own. But in the months since, the story has taken on a second life as a cautionary tale-one that estate planning attorneys keep coming back to, more than a year later, because Hackman's estate still hasn't been fully settled.
As If! Why You Can't Skip the Fine Print on Your Trust
When actress Brittany Murphy passed away in December 2009 at just 32 years old, her death sparked years of public speculation- not only about the circumstances surrounding it, but also about what happened to her estate afterward. More than a decade later, her case remains a widely cited cautionary tale in estate planning circles.
Balancing the Ledger... Poorly: Heath's Estate Planning Lesson
Heath Ledger's will was drafted years before his daughter Matilda was born and was never updated to include her, so under its literal terms his estate went to his parents and sisters rather than to her directly.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T THE PROCESS
Aretha Franklin died without a formal, valid estate plan in place; resulting in a 5-year long legal battle which locked her multi-million dollar estate in probate court.
When Doves Cry (and Lawyers Get Rich): Prince's Missing Will
Prince died without a will. What followed was a 6-year legal battle over a $156 million estate- heirs fighting the IRS, each other, and a parade of people claiming to be his rightful family.
No plan doesn't mean no consequences. It means someone else (a court, a stranger, state law) makes the decisions for you.
the age of digital estate planning
A list of passwords is no longer enough after a death. Two-factor authentication has changed digital estate planning. Here is what families need now.
What Happens to Debt When You Die?
If your family has never had a real conversation about what debt exists, how accounts are titled, or what would happen in the days after a death, now is the moment to change that. Understanding which assets and debts exist, and knowing what debts are the estate’s responsibility will help your loved ones navigate the next steps when you are gone.
The State’s plan: what is intestate succession?
How to avoid the “State’s Plan” and take control of your legacy
Common Estate Planning Myths That Put Your Loved Ones at Risk
Debunking 4 of the most common estate planning myths that put your legacy and your loved ones at risk